Girls Football and Education

Voice 2:And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1:In a small village in rural Ghana you might see a piece of paper attached to a tree. This paper has a simple message. It says: "Send the girl to school." In the same area, a different paper is also attached to a tree. This paper includes a picture of three women. One of the women is a judge. Another is an engineer. And another is a nurse. The words on the paper say: "Stay in school and you could be one of these." Many people see these messages. And they believe they are good. But there is still a problem. Not enough girls go to school in this area.

Voice 2:In fact, lack of girls in school is a problem worldwide. The Department for International Development says that more than 41 million girls across the world are out of school. However, about half of these girls live in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is a country in this area. The goal is for girls and boys to receive education equally. That is, for every boy in a school, there should also be a girl. But this is not the case. Experts say that in Ghana 91 percent of boys finish primary school, school for children up to age twelve. But only 79 percent of girls finish primary school here. As children get older, the numbers get lower and lower. Fewer and fewer girls attend school as they get older.

Voice 1:There are many reasons girls do not attend school. Many times parents might tell the children to stay home from school. Many of the people of this area are farmers. They depend on the girls of their family. These girls prepare and serve food to their parents working in the field. Many girls must gather water from far distances. Or, girls are responsible for working to earn money. That is the case for Abigail Appetey. Jessica Shepherd is a reporter for the Guardian newspaper. She visited Ghana and told Abigail's story.

Voice 2:Abigail is twelve years old. She lives in Apismu. This is a farming village in Eastern Ghana. Jessica tells how Abigail wants to become a teacher. But she misses a lot of school. And she is always tired in class. Three days of the week Abigail cannot attend school. Instead, she must wake from sleep very early in the morning. She buys fish from an area three miles away. Then she returns and sells her fish to the people in the village. But the money Abigail earns does not go toward her education. Instead, this money goes toward her older brother's education!

Voice 1:Many parents here believe it is more important to send their boys to school. Ms. Shepherd also wrote about Joseph Appiah. He works in Ghana for the organization Plan. Plan works in developing countries to fight for the rights of children. They also help children and their families out of poverty. Mr. Appiah sees how parents give greater support to their boys attending school. He says:

Voice 3:"The parents feel that a girl will marry and belong to another family. But a boy will bring back what he makes to his parents."

Voice 2:It is difficult to change this way of thinking. These beliefs run deep in many cultures. But having girls in school has many good results. Experts say that just ONE YEAR of full-time primary school can make a difference. A girl with this kind of education can earn better wages - by ten to twenty percent! Another year of school can make a bigger difference.